Wheel.



No. 865,115., PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1905;.:

' E. n. MARKHAM.

WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED s211121?, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@wanton 112:0. marl-lm@ @tranva No. 865,1 1 5.v

, lyspv'icaton yApplicationfiled September 17,1906.

FiF-73E,...

@twist isili? seau no. 334,907.

1b all ywhom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. llLtnnHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county 'of Cook -and State ot' Illinois, have invent-'ed a new and ol' cylinders arranged in pairs carried thereby. pistons in the cylinders, piston rods connecting the cylinders of each pair and spokes rigidly secured to the hub and loosely connected to the pistonrods and at right angles to said rods.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is aside elevation of a Wheel7 the parts being in a balanced position. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 oi' Fig. 1.

^ Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the Wheel7 portions being broken away and parts being shown in section, the parts being in the position assumed when loaded to capacity. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section througha pair, of cylinders, and connected parts.

In constructing my Wheel I employ a hub-A and a rim B and the hub A is not connected directly to the rim and is movable in a radial line with respect to-the rim aswill be shown in Figs. l and 3, in Fig. l the hub being shown concentric with the rim B and in Fig. 3 the hub is shown as arranged eccentrically with respect to the said rim, the'hub having free play between the Ypositions shown in these iigures.

The rim may be of any desired type and may or lnay` not be cushioned with rubber or provided with any other suitable iormoi' tire. To the insides ol the rim which I prefer to form in two parallel sections flanged upon their adjacent edges are connected plates C which as shown in Fig. 2 are placed side by sideand held botween the flanges B/ of the'riln B. These plates C are bent or curved to form cylinders Cf which are arranged in pairs -the cylinders of each pair being in alineinent with each other and each pair being at right angles to the adjacent pairs. Upon the hub A are riveted two plates D of sheet pressed steel which are pressed out wardly at regular intervals as shown at D and these plates are riveted'or bolted together. the outwardly pressed portions of each plate alin'ing and forming radial sockets in whichl are secured the inner end portions of spokes E which spokes may or may not be riveied to the plates D. ln the cylinders Cf are placed 4pistons F which are provided with hollow piston rods F. Supplen'iental piston rods lL havev their end portions working in alining piston rods F2 and cach pistoi'i 'rod F2 carries midway between ils ends a block or enlargement Fi* in which is lol-med a transverse opening through which loosely works one ol the spokes E. The pipe G in the l'orin ol' a tubular ring is carried bythe wheel and corninunciates by branches G. with each cylinder C.

The operation of the wheel and the object oithese parts is as follows:-Coinpressed air is lin-ccd inlo tho pipe G at any suitable point and passes into ibo cylinders C until the pistons F are in the position shown in Fig. 4 throwing the spokes E midway between the cylinders and as the vehicle is rotated the weight will. be carried mainly by the two horizontal spokes Aand partially by the obliquely inclined spokes, no load being carried by the spokes which are in a `vertical position. As the load increases the hub A will gradually drop below 'the center oi the rim B, and the pistons F in 'the lower vertically extending cylindersavill 'also descend as Will the'pistons F in the cylinders arranged obliquely and it will be obvious 1. hat the weight will be borne by the compressed air in the said cylinders Which will act as a cushion to take up any jars caused by uneven road surfaces. lt will also be obvious that as the 'wheel rotates the load will be contii'zuously shifted from one pair of cylinders to another and Ibai. in all cases the weight of the load will rest upon the horizontal spokes and parts connected thereto and not upon the vertical spokes which are out olf contact with the rim, and that consequently lwhile the portion oi the rirn in Contact with the uneven surface is thc part of the Wheel which sustains the jar or jolt, the support of the vehicle and the load is carried entirely by paris distant iron'i said portion of the riin and notin contact withV the ground.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A wheel comprising a hub, a rim. spokes secured to the liu'o and out oi' engagement willi ilu.- Vim. cylinders carried lu' the rim. pistonstherein andpiston rolls connected to said pistons, the free ends oi' iluspokca boina' 'loosely connected to said rods.

lili

a ilnid under vpressure to said cylinders, pistons in the cylinders, piston rods connecting cylinders of a pair, a

hub, and spokes carried hy said huh und terminating short of the rim, said spokes working loosely through and at right angles to said pistons.

4. A rim having a plurality of pairs of cylinders carried thereby, said cylinders of each pair being: in alinement means for simultaneously admitting compressed nir to all of the cylinders, pistons in said cylinders, a common piston rod for the piston of each pair of cylinders, a hub movable 10 radially with respect to the rim and spokes carried by said huh and passing looselyr and transversely through the` said piston rods.

EDWARD D. MARKHAM.

Witnesses t W. S. Uri-mm, CHARLES LUPMAN. 

